I’m an 18-year-old pre-medical student, tall nd good-looking, with two short story books and quite a number of essays my credit. Why am I singing such praises of myself? Just to explain that he attainment of self-pride comes from a great deal of self-love, and to attain it, one must first learn to accept oneself as one is. That was where my struggle began.
Born and raised in Africa , I had always taken my African origin as burden. My self-dislike was further fueled when my family had to relocate to Norway, where I attended a high school. Compared to all the white girls around me, with their golden hair and delicate lips, I ,a black girl, had curly hair and full, red lips. My nose often had a thin sheet of sweat on it, whatever the weather was. I just wanted to bury myself in my shell crying “I’m so different!”
What also contributed to my self-dislike was my occasional stuttering ( 口吃 ), which had weakened my self-confidence. It always stood between me and any fine opportunity. I’d taken it as an excuse to avoid any public speaking sessions, and unknowingly let it rule over me.
Fortunately, as I grew older, there came a turning point. One day a white girl caught my eye on the school bus when she suddenly turned back. To my astonishment, she had a thin sheet of sweat on her nose too, and it was in November! “Wow,” I whispered to myself, “this isn’t a genetic( 遗传的 ) disorder after all. It’s perfectly normal.” Days later, my life took an-other twist( 转折 ). Searching the internet for stuttering cures, I accidentally learned that such famous people as Isaac Newton and Winston Churchill also stuttered. I was greatly relieved and then an idea suddenly hit me—if I’m smart, I shouldn’t allow my stuttering to stand between me and my success.
Another boost to my self-confidence came days later as I was watching the news about Oprah Winfrey, the famous talkshow host and writer—she’s black too! Whenever I think of her story and my former dislike of my color, I’m practically filled with shame.
Today, I’ve grown to accept what I am with pride; it simply gives me feeling of uniqueness. The idea of self-love has taken on a whole new meaning for me: there’s always something fantastic about us, and what w need to do is learn to appreciate it.
41 . What affected the author’s adjustment to her school life in Norway!
A . Her appearance
B . Social discrimɪnation.
C . Her changing emotions.
D . The climate in Norway.
42 . What did the author’s occasional stuttering bring about according on Paragraph 3?
A . Her lack of self-confidence.
B . Her loss of interest in school.
C . Her unwillingness to greet her classmates.
D . Her desire for chances to improve herself.
43 . How did the author feel on noticing the similarity between her and ne girl on the bus?
A . Blessed and proud.
B . Confused and afraid.
C . Amazed and relieved.
D . Shocked and ashamed.
44 . What lesson did the author learn from the cases of Newton and Churchill?
A . Great minds speak alike.
B . Stuttering is no barrier to success.
C . Wisdom counts more than hard work.
D . Famous people can’t live with their weaknesses.
45 . What can best summarize the message contained in the passage?
A . Pride comes before a fall.
B . Where there is a will, there is a way.
C . Self-acceptance is based on the love for oneself.
D . Self-love is key to the attainment of self-pride.
A 42 . A 43 . C 44 . B 45 . D
【导语】本文是一篇记叙文。讲述的是作者在非洲长大的经历,在成长的过程中作者意识到一个人要获得自尊就要首先学会接受自己本来的面目。
41 .推理判断题。根据文中第二段 “Compared to all the white girls around me, with their golden hair and delicate lips, I ,a black girl, had curly hair and full, red lips. My nose often had a thin sheet of sweat on it, whatever the weather was. I just wanted to bury myself in my shell crying “I’m so different!”( 与我周围所有有着金色头发和精致嘴唇的白人女孩相比,我,一个黑人女孩,有着卷曲的头发和饱满的红唇。无论天气如何,我的鼻子上经常有一层薄薄的汗水。我只想把自己埋在壳里哭着 “ 我太不一样了! ”)” 可知,作者的外表与其他的孩子不同,这使得作者不容易适应学校的生活。故选 A 项。
42 .细节理解题。根据文章第三段 “What also contributed to my self-dislike was my occasional stuttering( 口吃 ), which had weakened my self-confidence.( 导致我自我厌恶的还有我偶尔的口吃,这削弱了我的自信心。 )” 可知,作者的口吃导致作者失去了自信。故选 A 项。
43 .推理判断题。文中第四段提到 “To my astonishment, she had a thin sheet of sweat on her nose too, and it was in November!( 令我惊讶的是,她的鼻子上也有薄薄的汗水,而且是在十一月! )” 可知,作者见到小女孩儿感到很惊讶,根据句子中 ““Wow,” I whispered to myself, “this isn’t a genetic( 遗传的 ) disorder after all. It’s perfectly normal.”(“ 哇, ” 我低声对自己说, “ 这毕竟不是遗传疾病。这很正常。 ”)” 可知,作者此刻感到很放松。故选 C 项。
44 .细节理解题。根据文章第四段 “I was greatly relieved and then an idea suddenly hit me—if I’m smart, I shouldn’t allow my stuttering to stand between me and my success.( 我大大地松了一口气,然后一个想法突然出现在我脑海中 —— 如果我聪明,我不应该让我的口吃阻碍我和我的成功。 )” 可知 , 作者意识到口吃不应该是自己成功的障碍。故选 B 项。
45 .主旨大意题。根据首段中的 “Just to explain that he attainment of self-pride comes from a great deal of self-love, and to attain it, one must first learn to accept oneself as one is. That was where my struggle began.( 只是为了解释他获得自尊来自大量的自爱,而要获得它,一个人必须首先学会接受自己的本来面目。这就是我挣扎开始的地方。 )” 可知,本文要讲述的是作者在经历中感悟到要想有自尊,首先要自爱。故选 D 项。
请认真阅读下列短文,并根据所读内容在文章后表格中的空格里填入一个最恰当的单词。注意:每个空格只填1个单词。
Feeling extreme loneliness can increase an older person’s risk of premature (过早的)death by 14 percent, according to research by John Cacioppo, professor of psychology at the University of Chicago.
Cacioppo and his colleagues’ work shows that the impact of loneliness on premature death is nearly as strong as the impact of disadvantaged socioeconomic status, which they found increases the chances of dying early by 19 percent. A 2010 meta﹣analysis showed that loneliness has twice as much impact on early death as obesity does, he said.
The researchers looked at dramatic differences in the rate of decline in physical and mental health as people aged. Cacioppo and his colleagues have examined the role of satisfying relationships on older people to develop their resilience ([rɪˈzɪliəns] 快速恢复的能力;适应力), the ability to feel better quickly after something unpleasant, and grow from stresses in life.
The consequences for health are dramatic, as feeling isolated or separated from others can disturb sleep, elevate blood pressure, increase morning rises in the stress hormone cortisol ([‘kɔ:tɪsɒl] 皮质醇), change the gene expression in immune cells, increase depression and lower overall subjective well﹣being, Cacioppo pointed out in a talk, “ Rewarding Social Connections Promote Successful Aging.”
Cacioppo, one of the nation’s leading experts on loneliness, said older people can avoid the consequences of loneliness by staying in touch with former co﹣workers, taking part in family traditions, and sharing good times with family and friends ﹣ all of which give older adults a chance to connect with others about whom they care and who care about them.
”Retiring to Florida to live in a warmer climate among strangers isn’t necessarily a good idea if it means you are disconnected from the people who mean much to you,” said Cacioppo. Population changes make understanding the role of loneliness and health all the more important,he explained. “People have to think about how to protect themselves from depression, low subjective well﹣being and early death. “
Although some people are happy to be alone, most people develop from social situations in which they provide mutual support and establish a strong bond. Evolution encourages people to work together to survive and accordingly most people enjoy companionship compared to be alone.
It is not solitude (独处)or physical isolation itself, but rather the subjective sense of isolation that Cacioppo’s work shows to be so destructive. Older people living alone are not necessarily lonely if they remain actively engaged in social life and enjoy the company of those around them. Some aspects of aging, such as blindness and loss of hearing, however, place people at special risk of becoming isolated and lonely, he said.
Passage outline | Supporting details |
The main idea | Chances are that older people will die early if they feel extremely 51.. |
52. with loneliness | • Like disadvantaged socioeconomic status and obesity, loneliness can 53. old men’s premature death. • When 54. from others, one will find physical health impacted and tend to feel depressive and unhappy. |
Suggestions | • Keep in touch with others and take part in 55. activities. • Choosing to live in a pleasant climate don’t necessarily make sense if the elder are disconnected from people who are 56. to them. • Think about how to57. depression, low subjective well﹣being and early death. • Work together with others to 58., to gain mutual support and establish a strong bond. |
Conclusions | • The sense of isolation, rather than solitude or physical isolation itself, isn’t 59.to elders. • Living alone doesn’t mean loneliness if older people live an 60. social life. |